Customer Reviews

Elf (Infinifilm Edition)

5 star:		(274)
4 star:		(110)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

I loved this movie. It was totally bonkers: a human baby accidently ends up on the north pole and grows up among the elf community that supports Santa Claus. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he's "special" however, since he can't keep up with the other elves. Never mind the fact that he's about three times as tall as any of them and barely fits in the shower.

When he's 30, and still young by Elf standards, he learns that he's really a human. Buddy decides to go in search of his father (who's on Santa's naughty list), to find out where he belongs. He walks to New York (through the Lincoln tunnel), and is immediately run over by a cab. The chain of events starts at that moment ...

Buddy is a delightful and enchanting character with many special talents and a childish personality. He is naive to the point of stupidity, but charming all the while. His lovable demeanour gains him friends in spite of his clumsy efforts. He is sweet, kind and generous. When his father at first rejects him, Buddy ends up in a department store where other elves (people who pretend to be Santa's elves) are working, and stays up all night to decorate the place. When the department store Santa isn't the real Santa, well, you can guess what happens ...

Buddy eats spaghetti covered in syrup, smarties and pop tarts; he gets drunk in the mail room of his father's office and his young half-brother shows him to ask a girl out on a date.

But all the while, things are looking bad for Santa Claus (and also Buddy's father). How will Buddy rescue the day? When Santa crashes his sleigh in Central Park, it's Buddy's moment to shine.

Abstract, enchanting, child-like madness all make up this beautiful movie. Absolutely delightful and recommended to viewers of all ages. If you want a Christmas feel-good movie, this is it.

I rarely go see movies twice, but after taking my four children, I treated my parents and watched it again! You fall in love with Buddy, you just can't help it! Will Ferrell is not the kooky nut in this one as in most of his movies, he truly shows the innocent, sweetness of Buddy the elf. Full of laughs, and not as predictable as you might think. I just can't wait until it is released to purchase. I will own this one, please note that after viewing you will need to decorate your house for Christmas immediately !! :)

Elf will land a spot alongside The Grinch (cartoon), Charlie Brown & A Christmas Story in my holiday video library! Will Farrell was hilarious & touching as the ever-cheerful,naive and polite Buddy. Bob Newhart, deadpan & stuttering as ever, was the perfect Papa Elf. The rest of the cast were ideal picks. A nice movie & a clever story. I needed a "feel-gooder" the day I watched it, and I wasn't disappointed.

First of all, this was the funniest film I have ever seen; I was in tears half way through. Yes, it is a kids' movie, but adults get to watch Will Farrel rip the heart out of Christmas by camping it up and being ridiculously sincere. Watching Farrel start a fight with a fake Santa for "sitting on a throne of lies" is about as fun as films get.

Those reviewers who think that this was cheesey nonsense - duh. It was supposed to be, and that is what made it so funny. And you seem to have missed the whole essence of the film.

Oh, and the kids liked it too.

Elf is an unusual movie in this day and age. It is not manipulative and speaks of simple values and simple, true love. I went to see it with my 10-year old, a 28-year old, and a 38-year old (I am 47). We all laughed and cried and came out of the movie amazed that such a simple movie could be so much fun and say so much.
Anytime you have a movie in which the main character is totally innocent and naive, it brings up how calloused and hardened we have all become to the things in life that matter. That's the message of this movie. I highly recommend it and am adding it to my Holiday DVD collection - you can bet we'll watch it every year and some inbetween!

In this delightful new holiday movie, Will Ferrell is an innocent named Buddy who was adopted as a baby by Santa and his elves. Having been raised in the North Pole, Buddy has no idea that he is human. However, when he grows up to be a six-footer, he begins to notice that he is physically different from his fellow elves. Much to his chagrin, Buddy's skills as a toymaker are a bit substandard. Finally, Papa Elf sends his ingenuous son to New York City to meet his biological father, played by the gruff James Caan.

This is the classic "fish out of water" plot that has been used in countless movies. How will Buddy, conspicuous in his green and yellow elf costume, with a pointy hat and pointy shoes, behave in New York City? How will Buddy's no-nonsense dad handle the fact that he has fathered a man who thinks he's an elf?

Predictably, Buddy, in his sweet innocence, has trouble adjusting to life in the big city. He wreaks havoc in a department store, exasperates his father, and soon feels lonely and unwanted. All of this works because the actors, including such seasoned veterans as Bob Newhart and Ed Asner, play it absolutely straight. Fortunately, there are only a few of the cloying scenes that often make holiday movies so difficult to take.

Hats off to the director and the special effects crew for delivering some hilarious sight gags and some cool and magical moments. Go see "Elf" with your kids. It is not great cinema, but I think that you will find this movie engaging and amusing holiday entertainment.

I see a fair number of movies, but it is only rarely that I leave the theatre feeling I truly got my nine dollars' worth. The last six months have been exceptional for me in that there have been three films which have been more than worth my time and money. The first was "Lost in Translation"; the third was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; and the one in the middle was none other than "Elf"!

Oh yes, I kid you not. I am usually not the biggest fan of Christmas movies, but "Elf" kept me smiling for two straight hours. This is no small achievement, especially during the holiday season. James Caan is perfectly cast as Will Ferrell's father, and I was really impressed with Ferrell himself. I always thought he was funny on "Saturday Night Live," but this really is classic stuff. There is no danger of him going the way of Rob Schneider or David Spade, "Old School" notwithstanding. Throw Bob Newhart into the mix and how can you lose?

Roger Ebert said it best: "I thought it would be clunky, stupid and obvious...foisting upon us a chaste romance involving the only girl in America who doesn't know that a man who thinks he is an elf is by definition a pervert.... It took me about 10 seconds of seeing Will Ferrell in the elf costume to realize how very wrong I was.... He convinced me that this was a good movie, and that's a miracle on 34th Street right there."

I was a little disappointed in the quality of the picture. It is not nearly as sharp as other movies I have. This appears to be a movie they put out on Blu-Ray without doing much to it. You can get the same quality with a standard DVD and an upscaling player. Kind of a waste of money.

Will Ferrell's performance in "Elf" approached genius for me. The plot is pedestrian, but you can't help but be charmed by Ferrell and his elf antics. The supporting cast also shines. The scene that most stands out for me and still makes me giggle is when Buddy (Ferrell) declares that a department store Santa is most certainly NOT the real Santa (Buddy would know, as he lived with the real Santa at the North Pole for most of his life). I laughed so hard in the theater for this scene, and so did much of the audience.

Buy or rent this--you won't be disappointed!

Elf is a great holiday film driven by an inspired and truly enthusiastic performance by Will Ferrell. Elf is also family friendly as it doesn't sink down to toilet humor (at least not often). I find it refreshing to see a comedy derive laughs by being witty or at least wacky instead of how many fart or sex jokes one can cram in a movie. The writers and directors stay committed to the character of Buddy the Elf and never lets the story drift away from Buddy's world. The movie also has strong and convincing performances from all the supporting actors which definitely adds an air of gravity to the over the top zealousness that Will Ferrell brings to the screen.

I can say with confidence that Elf will be an annual holiday watch. It may not be as deep in message as some of the Christmas movie legends like A Christmas Carol but it contains that one attribute that all Christmas movie greats share, a true belief in the Christmas Spirit.